TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The box was stacked Saturday against Colorado State. In all likelihood, it will be again when the Crimson Tide hosts No. 21 Ole Miss this weekend.

For Alabama's offensive linemen, this is nothing new. That's the way it's been for years and will continue to be throughout the season, no matter how many big throws AJ McCarron makes.

Through three games, Alabama's offensive line is 1-for-3 with asserting its will against this sort of set-up. The Crimson Tide ran for 234 yards and averaged more than 6.3 yards per carry. In its two other games, it's combined for 162 yards and averaged 2.75 yards per attempt.

"Consistency in doing what you're supposed to
do," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "It's the little things that come from paying attention to detail
that are important in getting our offense going the way we're capable
of."

The lack of consistency has been enough to leave the Crimson Tide with an average of 132 yards per game. That's last in the SEC and 90th in the nation in rushing offense.

Since 2008, Alabama hasn't ranked lower than fifth in the SEC and 31st in the nation in rushing offense. Before this season, Alabama's lowest average through three games was 186.67 yards.

"At some point you can't let them dictate what we're going to do," center Ryan Kelly said. "We're
going to still run our offense and some guys we can't account for, but
that's why we have backs like T.J. Yeldon and all those guys that make
those guys miss."

Not even Yeldon could make Colorado State's defenders miss on most plays Saturday, as the Crimson Tide gained just 66 yards on 21 attempts -- the fewest since the 2004 Music City Bowl. Yeldon's second-quarter run for 38 yards accounted for more than half of the total. The Crimson Tide had just five other runs that went for 4 yards or longer.

In its previous two games, Colorado State surrendered 215 rushing yards to Tulsa and 203 to Cal Poly.

"We had a few missed assignments but more than
that we probably had a lack of technique," Saban said. "If we're running a play and
the guard's supposed to help the center block the nose or the two-guy or
whatever and he doesn't do it, and the guy gets in the backfield
and hits us in the backfield, that's just a lack of technique.

"Then you
see the same play run again and you make 9 yards on the play when it
was done correctly."

After Alabama's season opener against Virginia Tech, when it ran for 96 yards, poor communication was cited as the main problem for an offensive line that was playing together for the first time.

Kelly said those issues resurfaced against the Rams.

"When the offense everyone knows what they're doing, we're hard to beat," Kelly said.
"If one guys
messes up and didn't get a call or didn't make a call, it can have a
serious impact on the offense. But when we're all together and we
practice that during the week, I think we're hard to beat."

The numbers don't lie.

Since 2008, Alabama is 52-0 when it rushes for more than 140 yards. In the Crimson Tide's seven losses during that span, it averaged 84.5 rushing yards.

"That's something we have to keep striving for, and that starts with
practice every day," Kelly said. "We finish our blocks in practice, we're going to
finish them out there."

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron had a different response to a similar line of questioning about the Crimson Tide's running woes. McCarron certainly benefits when the offense is clicking on all cylinders, but he stressed that an offense that was run-heavy at times last year probably will continue to have a different look and feel in 2013.

"We’re a new team. I think people need to realize that," McCarron said. "You’re not going
to be the best at running every year. Some years you’re going to be
better throwing the ball than you are running – and vice versa. I think
people need to kind of realize that. We’re going to play to our
strengths.

"If we got to throw the ball, we’ll throw it. If we’ve got to
run it, we’ve got to run it. As long as we win."